The 2011 Horizon Report includes predictions on the technologies that will enter mainstream use in Higher Education over the coming years. I’m a bit sceptical of these predictions as they always seem overly optimistic. For 3-years in-a-row Mobiles have been listed as entering mainstream use in one year or less… (or more it seems).
This year’s report suggests the following will be entering mainstream use in:
One Year or Less
Volunteers needed!
The CLT is looking for LSE teaching staff to pilot the use of text messages (SMS) in teaching. If you would like to participate in the pilots let us know by email to clt-support@lse.ac.uk
Some ideas of how text messages (SMS) could be used for out-of-class and in-class activities include:
The SMS pilots will use txttools integrated into Moodle. If you have any queries or you would like to discuss this further please contact Athina or Matt via clt-support@lse.ac.uk
Image: SMS by pixel_addict
We have recently added a text messaging service to Moodle called moodletxt (powered by txttools) . The primary use for this service is to receive text messages (SMS) in Moodle.
Using Moodletxt in Teaching & Learning
In some respects moodletxt is just an alternative communication channel to existing ones (office hours, email, Moodle forums etc). Two key differences are that texts are anonymous and can of course be sent from all mobile phones. Some suggested uses:
It is recommended that responses from staff are delivered through other communication channels. Although moodletxt can be used to send messages these texts must be paid for by the LSE so there is an additional financial cost (if you are interested in this then please do contact us). As some students may not wish to pay for texts it is also recommended that moodletxt is always used in conjunction with other Moodle communication tools to give an alternative option.
How it works
Students send a text preceded by a keyword (usually the course code) to a dedicated mobile number. The keyword acts as a filter directing the texts to an Inbox within the Moodle course. This inbox is only accessible to Moodle ‘teachers’ on the associated course. If you are interested in adding this feature to your LSE Moodle course or would like to discuss potential uses then please contact clt-support@lse.ac.uk
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87913776@N00/305425495/
The annual Horizon reports track emerging technologies that are likely to have an impact on teaching and learning in the future. The predictions of earlier reports are available elsewhere on this blog: 2009 2008 2007 and if you want to go further back see the Horizon website.
A short preview of the 2010 report (PDF) is already available. The technologies it highlights (time frames for becoming mainstream to be taken with a pinch of salt perhaps) are:
If you want to know more about any of these then the preview is short, worth a look and has links to examples. The other aspect of the Reports are the key trends and challenges that it highlights:
I wrote last month that I love lectures. As part of that post I highlighted the use of Twitter in the classroom by a History lecturer at The University of Texas at Dallas.
In a similar vein Purdue University have developed and are trialling a social-networking tool for the classroom called Hotseat. It allows students to give feedback, ask questions & have mini-discussions initiated by the lecturer (or themselves) while attending classes. The great thing about Hotseat is that students aren’t restricted to a particular input method, there are many ways students can contribute – via the website, SMS, Twitter, Facebook or MySpace. There also seem to be iPhone/iPod Touch Apps.
There are a couple of videos from Purdue explaining it further:
