pda and ipod effect disruptive

The PDA and iPod Effect: Disruptive Technologies

When considering the role of handhelds in hybrid courses, I suddenly

realized that interactivity would have to be reconsidered. I needed to

ask myself some very fundamental questions.

Play the podcast.

These questions were the following:

--What was the nature of the old "correspondence courses?" How did the

learner interact with the texts and the booklet of questions?

--What were the flaws of the old correspondence courses? If they came

bundled with audio files, tapes, and movies, what were the

limitations?

--How do people use handheld video gaming devices such as Nintendo's

Gameboy? What makes them popular? What are the emotional "rewards"?

It started coming together. What we were talking about was a return,

more or less, to the old concept of correspondence courses.

Instead of static, clunky books, you'd have something else. You'd have

something you could watch and listen to while in your bunk at night.

You could see it, even if you only had 8 inches between you and the

bunk above you, and it was dark, hot, and stuffy. You wouldn't have to

turn pages, or sit up and write. You could lie down, watch a little

screen light up with bullet points of objectives, then an audio file

come on, synched with a little slide show. This would either be

through a Flash player, or on the Powerpoint 2003, that came installed

in the 4-inch long Dell Axim handheld computer. You could listen to

the audio through earphones. You could watch scenarios, think about

how things are being written, and listen to a person go through the

steps you're trying to get across.

For example, in an English composition course, in the unit on

"compare-contrast" essays, you could focus on learning how to write

vivid descriptions. There would be an example of a first draft - a

staid, descriptionless paragraph. Then, you'd see two or three

iterations - revisions, expansions, adjustments to the goals of the

writer and the rhetorical situation.

I could imagine a young Marine lying on his bunk, listening to the

progression of descriptions:

Description 1: The horse was small.

Description 2: The chestnut-colored pony was the perfect size for an

8-year-old girl.

Description 3: My cousin's 8-year-old daughter was thrilled when she

saw the chestnut-colored pony standing next to the gate. "He's bigger

than Max!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Max, the blonde husky-golden

retriever mix, cocked his head at the mention of his name. "Whadya

expect, anyway? I'm a dog, not a horse!" he seemed to say.

Later, the Marine could scroll through the menu to small movies. These

would be 2-3 minute video clips, shot in the style of reality

television, that would illustrate a point. For example, this sequence

could illustrate how to support your argument with supporting details

Taking a Position Video 1: The video is of a busy intersection. The

student must take a position on whether or not to improve the light

and pedestrian crosswalk, and support the position with compelling

arguments. The facts would come from observing the video.

After viewing the video, the student can listen to one student's

version.

Taking a Position Video 2: Video of an apartment sidewalk that

contains some sort of hazard (ice, branches, rocks). Ask the student

to write a description of the scene to support the argument that the

apartment management needs to improve safety conditions.

After viewing the video, the student can listen to a flawed

description. The student is asked to be alert to inconsistencies and

logic flaws.

Perhaps there is not a lot of reading or writing in this approach, but

the concepts are clear, and the techniques are in place.

Work would be done in regular pen-and-pencil notebooks, and later

turned in to the education officer.

I mentioned the fact that I was developing a course for delivery on

PDAs. Not surprisingly, the first thing I heard was, "I can't imagine

reading a book on my Palm!" or, "My syllabus would never fit on a Palm

- how are you going to put a course and a textbook on there?"

Of course, those were good questions. But - the key to remember is

that you're not trying to replicate the textbook. After all, they

already have their textbooks. However, this is done to develop

instructional materials that improve learner efficacy.