Education on the Move Mobile Computing and Instruction Presented by: Dr. Jan Vanderpool

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Exactly what is mobile computing? Mobile computing affords the user the ability to carry on with their computational activities wherever they happen to be. These activities can include checking and sending s or Tweets, checking, setting or conducting calendar activities such as exams, office hours or student support

Who uses mobile computing? Teachers, students, homemakers, businesspeople, office workers, anyone who has a need to connect with anyone else in the world

What are some of the components of mobile computing?

Mobile computing frees you from the office The elusive electrical or network connection is no longer a hindrance to productivity

Reach out to your students from wherever you happen to be. Use your camera phone to record photos or short vides of current events that may be pertinent to your lessons. Send these to your students or post them to customized social networking sites such as or

Instantly send messages to your whole class

Instant Contact Send “tweets” to your students to inform and alert

Tablet Computers Tablet computers are a product of the evolution of the portable-laptop-notebook computer and have been around for several years. The defining feature would be their ability to be used as a handheld slate with the capacity for pen or touch screen direct input. Lately, innovations in technology have allowed for an extreme compression of computing power into previously unheard of smaller sizes. Improved computing circuitry, more efficient heat release and greater storage capacity have all melded together to create this new breed of computer.

First Generation Tablets

Current Tablet Makers There are a wide variety of manufacturers of tablets today. Among some of the more popular are: – Apple (iPad) – Acer – Lenovo – Viewsonic – Samsung (Microsoft Windows 8) – Hewlett Packard – Dell – And a host of others

Apple iPad

iPad and iPhone

Kindle & Kindle Fire

Kindle Keypad

Netbooks, Notebooks and Laptops While tablets and smartphones are in and of themselves wonderful mobile devices, some applications require the power, capacity and flexibility of a classic desktop. Presently netbooks, notebooks and laptops offer some, if not most, of these desktop features in a lightweight, portable format.

Netbooks Typically netbooks are set apart from tablets by the presence of a tactile keyboard and a folding case. The processing power, storage capacity and peripheral devices are limited by their size. Netbooks typically weigh less than three pounds.

Notebooks Notebook computers tend to have greater processing power and storage capacity than their netbook kin but still significantly less than the features found in a fully complemented desktop computer. These units weigh in at between three and seven pounds.

Laptops Laptops tend to be the largest and most powerful of the portable computers often boasting processing power, memory, storage capacity and displays rivaling those of many desktops. Full-featured, large-screen laptops can weigh as much as fifteen to twenty pounds.

Smartphones What defines a smartphone – Operating system Android from Google Windows CE from Microsoft Blackberry from RIM iOS from Apple Symbian OS from Nokia – Features Powerful processors Abundant memory Independent applications Multiple components, ie. Camera, LED Flash, wi-fi, touch screen, GPS, calendar,

Smartphones Some popular smartphones include: Blackberry Storm, Motorola Droid, Verizon Android and Apple iPhone

Smartphone Apps What are Apps? – Apps refer to programs developed especially to run on specific phone operating systems and within the confines of the phone environment – Generally Apps designed to run on one phone operating system such as iOS will not run on a competing operating system such as Blackberry OS

Popular Apps iPhone Education Apps – Blackberry Education Apps – Android Education Apps – have-educational-android-apps/ have-educational-android-apps/

iTunesU Apple iTunes hosts an amazing site known as iTunes U, an educational portal to podcasts from some of the top educational centers around the country. Lectures are recorded and published as podcasts which are available to whomever visits the particular school’s virtual lecture halls.