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Table of Contents
Papers
Learning Confidence Intervals with Mobile Devices
By Francisco Javier Tapia Moreno, Hector Antonio and Villa Martinez
Abstract
Mobile learning (m-learning) enhances learning skills in some students. Mobile phones, Tablets, PDAs, Pocket PCs and Internet can be used jointly in order to encourage and motivate learning wherever and whenever students want to learn. In this work, we show learning objects for teaching and learning inferential statistics using mobile devices. With these learning objects, students can calculate confidence intervals based in either a large or a small data sample obtained from a normal or a non-normal population. These objects are been designed for devices with Android operating system.
Near Field Communication - Which Potentials Does NFC Bring for Teaching and Learning Materials?
By Martin Ebner and Martin Maierhuber
By Martin Ebner and Martin Maierhuber
Abstract
Near Field Communication (NFC) is deemed to be a future technology with a lot of potential in many areas. One of those areas, learning and teaching, will be covered in this article, showing possible usages of NFC with teaching and learning materials. With a lot of new NFC capable devices presented recently, this technology can be utilized in many areas, including the arbitrarily growing field of mobile learning. Mobile devices, especially smartphones, can help to close the gap between printed media and online media. Several methods, e.g. two-dimensional barcodes, have already been used to connect the digital world with printed media but almost all of them caused inconveniences or difficulties. NFC presents an easy to use way to share and communicate directly between capable devices or tags that can be applied almost anywhere.
In this publication a first insight to the potential of NFC for teaching and learning content is given. A prototype is programmed to allow data transformation between the print media and the smartphone. It can be summarized that NFC will be the logical successor of QR-Codes.
mHealth Platform and Architectures to Provide Nutritional Guidance to Children
By Mabel Vazquez Briseno, Manuel Diaz Arce, Elitania Jimenez Garcia and Juan Ivan Nieto Hipolito
Abstract
Obesity and eating disorders in children are major problems worldwide. To promote their future well-being, it is important to educate children and teenagers about healthy lifestyle choices. Mobile technology offers many opportunities for helping to prevent health problems; however, the sole use of stand-alone applications is insufficient to improve children’s health awareness because children require proper orientation from adults. In this paper, we present a mobile platform intended to provide nutrition guidance to children and architectures for implementing this platform in an elementary school environment. These architectures provide data capturing and user interfaces that are especially suited for children, and they permit adults to send and receive notifications and messages to improve results.
Mobile Remote Control for Home Automation
By Ramses Miramontes Meza, Laura Victoria Escamilla del Río and Raúl Teodoro Aquino Santos
Abstract
Existing home automation technologies permit persons to control elements of the home using a computer connected to a local network. However, the real challenge is to remotely control objects, permitting users to exercise greater freedom and versatility. This work presents an inexpensive controller device developed for high density constructions typical of many developing countries throughout the world that is designed to remotely control home luminescence, air conditioner and water pumps through mobile devices such as a smart phone or tablet. Results show the packet delivery was acceptable within a range of 15 meters in a concrete, two-story dwelling, thus demonstrating its applicability in small homes in countries which share the same construction features as those of Mexico.
Native Apps Vs. Mobile Web Apps
By William Jobe
Abstract
The extensive growth and expansion of smartphones and tablets and therewith the use of mobile web applications that utilize HTML5 and related technologies are frequently discussed and debated in media as possible replacements for native applications. The aim of this study was to explore the viability of replacing native applications with mobile web applications in a developing country setting. Two mobile web applications were developed. The first mobile web application tracked runs and the second mobile web application was a booking system for scheduling “slum runs”. The subjects who tested these apps were elite, semi-professional Kenyan runners primarily from the Kibera slum area outside of Nairobi. After a 6-month test period the participants concluded and results indicated that the mobile web application for tracking runs performed poorly compared to native applications due to poor GPS performance, while the mobile web application for booking slum runs performed well. The conclusion from this study is that mobile web applications that require hardware interaction such as using the GPS, GPU, or camera are not yet viable alternatives for native applications. However, mobile applications that only require a native interface and content consumption are suitable substitutes for native applications.
Reports
An Interactive Mobile Lecturing Tool for Empowering Distance Learners
By Olutayo Boyinbode and Dick Ng'ambi
Abstract
Face-to-face learning is most prominent in higher education in developing countries of Africa, where learning is teacher-centred; this type of learning does not promote deep learning. Vodcasts and podcasts are increasingly becoming popular in higher education as a means of enhancing learning especially for part-time students who are separated by distance from their teacher; this mode of teaching is known to entertain some limitations. In this paper we report on MOBLEC, an interactive Mobile lecturing model that removes the limitations of podcasting or vodcasting model and promote deep learning. This model enables students to comment on lecture vodcasts using mobile devices, and aggregated comments become an educational resource. The model was evaluated at the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), Zimbabwe. The paper describes an interactive mobile lecturing tool for empowering learners that are separated from their teachers and the evaluation results from BUSE, Zimbabwe.
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Source: International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies
