Mobile Learning and the Future of Education

In a recent article written by Joe Ganci On Mobile Learning Solutions Magazine’s web site (you can read the full story here), Joe asked 7 industry experts three questions:

1. What are the obstacles to practical delivery of learning via mobile devices?
2. What do you think it will take to solve these problems?
3. When do you think it will happen?

Answers for the first question seemed to be consistent among the respondents and ranged from lack of technical standards, lack of consistency among devices, and a lack of consistency in content delivery. Everyday more and more schools, colleges and universities are experimenting with mobile learning. A recent article in Wired Magazine talks about how universities are looking to replace textbooks with iPads, and the University of Oklahoma is currently doing a study using iPads in education. The article also talks about how mobile learning could actually save students money on text books. Good news for parents and future college students faced with footing the bill for a higher education.

While mobile learning is still in the nascent stages of development, we believe that a key to resolving some issues related to content delivery and lack of consistency among devices is to make mobile apps and textbooks that promote learning for multiple devices. At gWhiz we develop apps for the iPad/iPod touch/iPhone as well as the BlackBerry smartphone and Android. Developing apps for multiple devices is no different than developing a web site that delivers educational content for multiple browsers. It just makes good sense in terms of reaching the largest audience of learners.

Florida Virtual Schools’ meStudying Algebra 1 app is a great example of an app that is available for multiple devices that students are likely to already have in their pockets. Same with their Reading for College Success App that is due for release soon. Kaplan also has professional apps that are available on Android, the i-devices, and BlackBerry smartphone including: GRE Vocabulary, Medical Terms for Nurses, Real Estate Terms, and Architecture Registration Exam.

We’d love to hear from you, what device do you use and why? E-mail your response to marketing@gwhizmobile.com and we’ll send you a promo code of your choice subject to availability.

Mobile Learning: Which Device Will Put You at the Head of the Class?

There’s certainly a lot going on in the mobile device world lately. We just got done trying out our brand new iPads, here at gWhiz and now Google is releasing its own tablet according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The competition is definitely getting hotter in the mobile world and according to market research group, the NPD group, the Android OS is leading the way for smart phone operating systems and is ahead of the iPhone OS which is closely followed by RIM’s OS. So what does this mean for mobile learning and which device will lead the way?

In Educause’s latest whitepaper on mobile learning they talk about pioneering schools that have done some great work with iPods and iPhones in the classroom. Based on our own experience, we are hearing from more teachers, students and school officials every day. So far we’ve had the greatest demand for apps for the i devices. But with the Android growing in popularity it is anyone’s guess right now, and BlackBerry still has the lion’s share among professional users. gWhiz currently has more than 40 apps in the iTunes store including our best selling GRE Vocabulary app, which is also available for the Android and BlackBerry. We also get quite a few requests for professional test prep apps. Our latest sets apps to help busy professionals on the go are now in the iTunes store, and include the Wiley CPA app as well as the Leeds Building Design & Construction and Green Associate Apps.

When we partnered with Florida Virtual School they were interested in developing the meStudying:Algebra 1 app geared toward students for both the Android and the iPod/iPad/iPhone and we have more on the way. Similarly Kaplan’s Medical Terms for nurses, a professional test prep app is also available on for the iPod/iPad/iPhone and the BlackBerry. And we’ve always offered gFlash Pro, gRef Pro, gCalc Pro, and got 2 Pro both in the iTunes store and at BlackBerry App World because they make great learning and productivity tools for students and professionals alike. With the concept of mobile learning starting to pick up some pretty serious steam, we are excited by the growing awareness about the impact that mobile learning has on students, both young and old. We look forward to continuing to a provide apps for a life time of learning, from the school aged, to the college student to aspiring professional. Visit www.gwhizmobile.com to see what's new or to request promo codes so you can test drive our latest apps.

Why the iPad is a "Big Deal"

When I first heard about Apple's iPad I said, (like many others) "It's just a big iPod Touch. Why not get a netbook? Do I need another device that's somewhere between my iPod Touch and my laptop? Do I really want to write code for yet another platform? What's the big deal?"

But, after spending quality time with the iPad over the last several weeks, I can report that the big deal is that... (drum roll, please):

The iPad is a big iPod Touch

No, really. That is a big deal.

The iPod Touch (like its iPhone sibling) is an awesome device - it plays music and videos, it can manage your contact lists, emails, and photo albums. It has an accelerometer that detects screen orientation and user movement. The user interface is easy to use with simple, intuitive navigation. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot: it has a nifty little touch screen that's leveraged by a bazillion or so AppStore apps.

The iPod's only major shortcoming comes from its fit-in-your-pocket design: the small screen size limits what developers can offer in one app. Thus, the iPod is great for on-the-go use, but not as great for high-content and feature-intensive apps.

So along comes the iPad. It's just like the iPod Touch, but bigger. Although you can't put the iPad in your pocket it's still small enough to tuck into a student's notebook. And like the Touch, the iPad is easy to use and has access to a bazillion iTunes apps, the email features, and the accelerometer.

But it's the expanded touch screen that makes it a Big Deal.

The larger screen dramatically sweetens the user experience. For an example, let's compare difference between our FLVS Algebra app on the iPod and iPad versions. First, let's look at the iPhone/iPod Touch app:


This app is a nice little mobile utility used by students to practice Algebra. Now, let's look at the same app on the iPad.



On the iPad, everything is easily accessible - categories, questions, answers, and explanations. There's even room for a calculator.



And check out the scratch pad shown below - users can write directly on the screen to work out equations. It's not a feature that you'd find on a laptop, and it wouldn't work very well on the small iPhone screen, but on the iPad...




"But it's just a big iPod Touch!"

Yup.

Everyone Needs A Study Buddy

It is that time of year when the joy and freedom that summer brings, can’t arrive fast enough for thousands of high school students across the country. That’s right, it is time for advanced placement exams.

As students put their noses to the grindstone to study for exams that will help them earn college credit and go a long way toward landing in a top school, parents and students stress about how to achieve high scores on the exams. In addition to entrée into first choice schools, according to the College Board's Web site other benefits of high achievement on AP exams include earlier graduation, money saved on a college education, more time to study abroad, and possibly a student favorite less time spent studying. AP credits also help students when applying for scholarships too, in fact according to the site 31% of colleges take into account a prospect’s AP scores when determining scholarships.

No pressure, right? The good news for students is that you aren’t alone. Tens of thousands of students across the U.S. will be taking the test right along with you. Better news is that there are also tons of resources out there in the way of study guides and pocasts. To make studying even easier, gWhiz and McGraw-Hill have developed a set of study buddies that fit right in your pocket. You can review for your AP exam right up to the last minute with easy-to-use apps for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Each has several hundred flashcards with practice test questions on topics including:

- AP U.S. History
- AP Psychology
- AP World History
- AP Biology
- AP European History
- AP Microeconomics/Macroeconomics
- AP U.S. Government and Politics

And to help with that last minute studying we’re also offering a limited number of free promo codes for all of our AP apps on a first come, first served basis. You can e-mail us to get your free promo code!

Happy studying, and good luck from gWhiz!

There IS an App for That!

The pace of advancement in technology never slows down, and the fun part about working in the tech industry is that there is always something exciting, new, and outright amazing that you never would have thought of. This week, for example, right here in Maryland I learned that the Enoch Pratt Library is on Foursquare, and that the library used it to give a mug to the new “mayor” of the library . . . when I read the article I thought it was pretty cool that someone would think to use a social networking platform to promote a library, and then I became jealous. I spent so much time reading science fiction and checking out jazz records at my local library back in the day that I would have earned enough check-ins on Foursquare for a Jaguar or a closet full of library mugs!

Later in the day I was talking to a friend of mine, who is a doctor, and I asked him what he thought about iPhone/iPod touch test prep apps for the MCAT and the USMLE. And then he asked the question – there’s an app for that? After I stopped laughing, he told me stories about sleepless nights spent studying for the MCAT. He said it would have been convenient, and much more fun to supplement his studying with an app that had iPhone flashcards and videos.

I can relate to what my friend had to say. The daughter of one of our founders swears by gFlashPro, our flashcard app, as a great study tool. When I think back to my college days and all the time I spent creating flashcards to study for an exam, when I could have been out doing other things, it made me wish I could send myself a smartphone back through time.

But you can’t go back in time and technology never sleeps, so at gWhiz we are always looking forward to what's coming next. Even as I typed this post, a friend instant messaged me to let me know that Facebook had just rolled out some updates to their photo capabilities. Tech doesn’t even seem to like to take a nap, and neither do we. We’ve got some more great apps coming down the pipeline for the Architect Registration Examination and the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT) exam, and of course we are counting down the days for the arrival our Twilight app in the iTunes store!

Now that we’ve told you our favorite tech tidbits for the week, what are yours? Share your favorite news of tech wizardry by commenting on this post and e-mailing marketing@gwhizmobile.com. We’ll give you a free promo code to an app from the gWhiz or for Dummies catalog!

Our First Contest!

Today in gWhiz history we are doing our first contest to give away 20 promotional codes for the McGraw-Hill ACT Vocabulary App! Guidance counselors, teachers, students, and parents are all eligible for the contest.

To enter we're simply asking folks to put our marketing team to work and tell them why you, or someone you know should get a fee download of the app. The e-mail can go to marketing@gwhizmobile.com, and we've even made it easy for you to share the offer with your friends and loved ones on Facebook with our brand new Facebook Share button.

What app will we feature in our next contest? Keep visiting to find out!

Mobile Education: A Future So Bright We’re Wearing Our Shades

We are cranking away here at gWhiz, and we have some great apps coming down the pipeline. Mobile learning is becoming an increasingly cost effective, convenient, and accessible format to a broad range of audiences to foster a lifetime of learning. With the recent release of the iPad and all that’s going on with the Android, the future is only getting brighter in terms of possibilities and potential for mobile learning.

Consider younger audiences ages, 8 to 18. In a recent post Weblogged, children in this age group spend an average of 53 hours per week consuming and interacting with media! The latest article in Campus Technology Magazine discusses a pilot on the school’s campus, where the school gave out iPods and iPhones to their in coming freshmen class as part of a mobile learning initiative. A recent report by Elliot Massie’s Learning Consortium estimated that corporate expenditures for mobile learning will reach $246.9 million by the end of 2011. The report states, and we agree, that handheld devices have the incredible potential to push and pull information and deliver learning whenever and wherever you need it.

Here at gWhiz we think the potential for mobile learning is limitless across all age groups. Demand for mobile learning has kept our SAT Vocabulary app at the top of the list of SAT Apps on iTunes, and we believe it will so the same for our newly released SAT app. Florida Virtual Schools meStudying:Algebra I app released an algebra app that not only supports their own curriculum, but can also be used as a study aid by anyone taking high school algebra. We even see the demand for mobile learning among our own employees here at gWhiz who use our graduate school test prep apps and gFlashPro cards to study for just about anything, and everything. One of our marketing folks even made some fly fishing flash cards for her father’s iPod touch so that he could have a handy pocket reference when he’s out in the stream.

The future of mobile learning looks like a bright one, and here at gWhiz we are excited about the possibilities. We’ve even got an App coming up based on the popular Defining Twilight series to help students prep for the vocabulary portion of the SAT, ACT, GED, and more. Stay tuned for the announcement . . . .