Apple is recently investigating the use of context and contextual sensors for contextual marketing (see report from AppleInsider http://is.gd/ciEmm ). This is doing a lot of stuff we have been exploring the Learning Media Lab about using barcode scanners, RFID readers, location tracking indoor and outdoor for filtering content for the current context of the user. The description includes also different aspects as personalisation and contextualisation. So I wonder if one could use the the iAd framework not only for selling advertisements but also learning nuggets ?

As I described in Specht (2009) technologies today are in rapid changing process influencing daily use of media, especially mobile and embedded use of media in real life situations.  The impact mobile and ubiquitous technologies is not only visible in every day life especially with the younger generation, but also in education as described in the Horizon resports (2005-2010). As such we are confronted with a rapidly changing technological environment offering new options and media related innovations enabling new educational support. Therefore necessary actions for a successful research on mobile and ubiquitous learning technologies is threefold

 Developing a theory of learning in technology enhanced environments: Understanding the effects of embedded and mobile media artefacts in the real world and their effects on learning has to consider a variety of cognitive science research, educational sciences, and psychology of learning, as also underlying research as mobile HCI, Internet of Things. These approaches and theories have to be considered and a theory about what is learning, performance, and education in such an technology enhanced world has to be developed.

Abstract modeling of technology enhanced learning process and environments: Understanding design options and possibilities of new technologies and defining an abstracted model that allows the specification of learning support of the future. The designed models can be seen independent from current technological developments but aligned with a future vision of what we expect technology to be able to support in the coming 10-15 years.

Evaluation with design oriented research practices: based on the theory, the abstract modeling of technology enhanced educational artefacts and the interaction with those specific implementation and instantiations of these have to be built and empirically evaluated.

 Read and Write Web discusses some technologies which should be monitored in 2010 and which are relevant for mobile learning. These include

For more information on these above technologies, you can read through the full report available here on Gartner’s web site.

Read the interview (in Dutch) here.

Hoe kunnen we het mobieltje inzetten bij het leren? Daar gaat het om bij het onderzoek van prof. dr. Marcus Specht. Werd het mobieltje eerst als storende factor gezien in het klaslokaal, nu is het een sleutel tot een nieuwe, persoonlijke leerwereld.

David Wong, who goes by the handle "planetbeing," demonstrated his hack on video this week. The dual-boot setup, using a program called "OpeniBoot," allows the iPhone to be restarted and then run Google Android.