Handheld and Mobile Computing and Presentations/Speeches

Tablet PCs used in undergraduate field courses in archaeology and ecology have transformed the way we teach field-mapping and data-collection concepts. Curriculum redesign and assessment strategies were applied to two unique classes, introducing tablet PCs, an emerging mobile technology, with the goal of improving how spatial data are handled, viewed, and collected.

Electronic response systems and web-based educational software systems use response pads, PDAs, laptops, and tablet PCs to encourage active learning. This overview will describe available mobile and wireless technologies; identify their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses; and offer examples of how they are used to enhance and assess student engagement and learning.

The annual Horizon Report, a joint publication of the NMC and the ELI, highlights new technologies for teaching, learning, and creative expression. This session will review the research and process behind the report. The 2008 Horizon Report and its findings will be officially released at this session.

Social learning enhances knowledge when students create learning environments by making connections among their peers and community. Educators struggle to develop innovative teaching strategies to meet the expectations of digital natives who are accustomed to this social environment. This presentation will describe how faculty at Montclair State University foster social learning using mobile technology.

What information technologies are used by undergraduates? How does IT contribute to their academic experiences and learning? What has changed since 2005? ECAR presents key findings from the fourth annual survey of undergraduates, with responses from 27,846 students at 103 higher education institutions. Plans for 2008 will also be discussed.

Communications technology can help differentiate your campus not only in serving current students but also in creating a sense of life-long community so that generation after generation of families keep coming back. Hear from one campus using intelligent communications today to make a difference.

The Handheld and Mobile Computing Constituent Group was formerly known as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). As hand-held and mobile technology has progressed group interest has evolved, and this session will focus discussion on the innovative and functional uses for mobile computing devices in higher education today. Creative ideas for projects utilizing mobile computing in teaching, learning, and administration will be explored. Topics will include hardware, applications, tools, special uses, wireless and mobile connectivity, web services, support issues, security, and others.

This session will share the vision of pioneers of evolving technologies on how to use them to reach their full potential. Topics will include 3D rapid prototyping, Google applications for higher education, digital preservation, storage and information life-cycle management, advances in virtualization, Web 2.0, m-learning, and location awareness.

UNCW has begun a new initiative to develop and test a wide range of information services accessible through mobile devices. This session will compare the relative costs and advantages of applications based on SMS text messaging, WAP browsers, and Java MIDlets as well as the structuring of the relationship between the faculty start-up and the institution to develop and pursue the resulting initiatives.

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, June 11-13, 2007, Boulder, Colorado. This presentation was part of a panel discussion about the challenges of harnessing the power of digital content to support learning at scale in both institutional settings and in national efforts. They considered the potential roles of digital content as cognitive media and social media, and they used cases and models that highlight best practices and sticky issues.