Flexible Distance Learning
- 1. Flexible distance learning: A snapshot of mobile learning methods Terese Bird Learning Technologist and SCORE Research Fellow Beyond Distance Research Alliance Open University of China visit to Leicester 23 Nov 2012 www.le.ac.uk
- 2. What will we talk about? • The benefits of mobile • iTunes U • Text • Sound • Video • Interactive
- 3. The benefits of mobile • Personal • Bite-sized learning • Fits into learner’s life • More peer-to-peer • Portable • Active learning • Immediate • Enables new learning • Access for the isolated environments • Allows capture • Accessibility –special needs • Time management • Encourages reflection in close proximity to event
- 5. Criminology – one iPad per distance student
- 6. iTunes U
- 7. iTunes U • Distribute pdf, epub, mp3, and mp4 formats • Share with the world • Name recognition • Nice for handheld devices • Windows and Mac computers • Need to download free iTunes software
- 9. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch
- 10. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch
- 11. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch
- 12. Easy to build a course using Safari
- 13. What format for content? Medium Positives Negatives Text •Speed •Flat •Pre-existing material •Does not communicate emotion Image •Much communicated in •Can be misleading a single simple package without context Sound •More communicated by •Not seen as flashy as voice than just words video? •Convenient for multitasking •Smaller file than video Video •Most info •Bulky and padded communicated •Demands attention •Great for demonstrating skills
- 14. Tbird Top Tips – Overall view • When I designed for Apple devices, things worked nicely on Android as well • Dropbox is from heaven • iTunes can be fiddly • For downloadable items, consider a Creative Commons license
- 15. Text – ebooks! • iBooks Author – simple easy, produces .ibook format • Free with latest Mac OS • Print to PDF – it’s beautiful • If you don’t wish to stop there… • Can take it into Adobe Acrobat Distiller and save as Word
- 17. Take advantage of iBooks Author
- 18. Take advantage of iBooks Author • Free with latest Mac OS • Saves as pdf and text
- 19. Now make an epub • Copy and paste the text into Pages. • Add photos. • Add video if you’re sure the devices can handle it – iOS: iBooks – Android: Kobo, Ibis Reader • Let it flow! • Tips: Only inline. No floating objects.
- 20. Calibre • Take a Word doc • Save as html • Import into Calibre • Save as epub or mobi • Pdf to epub doesn’t really work • Also try epubbud.com
- 21. Picture books! • Just use simple pdf!!! • Brilliant results! • I tried everything else • Maps, drawings
- 22. Handy guide to ebooks File format What device positives negatives pdf Everything Runs on Does not flow, everything does not take advantage of the device’s power epub Everything but Flows, takes Kindle advantage of the devices’s power Open source, somewhat futureproof mobi Kindle Kindle is big Kindle only .ibooks Apple iBooks only Beautiful & easy Apple iBooks only iPad is market leader
- 23. Sound • Why sound? – Copyright is easier – recorded lectures – File size is smaller – Listeners can do something else at the same time – No bad hair days – staff like it! – Voice communicates more than the printed word – Excellent, easy way to close distance
- 24. How? • Audacity • Garageband • Window Sound Recorder • But please save as mp3 (wma and wav are dead) • And apps!!!...
- 25. Audioboo and SoundCloud • Like YouTube for sound • Record in browser • Attract comments in browser • Or simply upload • RSS out, iTunes out it’s like magic • Can send these to Apple if you like • Limited length of recordings
- 26. Sound threaded discussions • Wimba Voiceboard • Voice Thread • Voxopop
- 27. Examples of use • Audio feedback – increased marks & retention http://www.le.ac.uk/duckling • Voice discussions • Audioboo – Field use – listen to teacher’s description of a flower, student audio-records her own comments and findings • Student can record, using Audioboo for iPhone (don’t use iPad app yet)
- 29. Sound on iTunes U • Easy to get going • Oxford example
- 30. Share your stories! Shall we try it?
- 31. Video • How many of you have made a YouTube video?
- 32. YouTube facts • 10 minute limit • Great to embed into LMS • Comments are a mixed blessing • Good statistics • Use branding • Not too easy to download the video • Good way to convert files to mp4
- 33. Vimeo • Longer video than YouTube • Much less junk • Pretty much just as easy to do • Downloadable
- 34. ScreenR
- 35. Recorded lectures • Record the face or just the slides? • Streaming or download? • Automatic enterprise, or one-by-one? • Huge server space required, very expensive • Screen capture software: QuickTime, Camtasia, iShowU
- 36. Editing movies – keep it simple • iMovie – free with Mac – saves as .mov, .mp4 • Windows MovieMaker – but doesn’t save as mp4 • Only go to Final Cut Express if you have to! – Bleeped out sounds – Fuzzed out faces – A cut-out logo floating over the image
- 37. Easy interactive • Clever Powerpoint, save as pdf • Prezi
- 38. Get some helpsheets! • http://tinyurl.com/mobi-learn-mat
- 39. Thank you!!!