The 7th Mass Media: Mobile

There has been a lot written about the creation and use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). I believe that they are the future of adult education, providing flexible, customized and personalized learning environments, allowing learners to learn what where, when, and how they want to learn.

I have also been reading a lot and hearing a lot about the use of mobile devices as deliverers of PLEs. Here is a great post that talks about mass media and that mobile devices have become the 7th mass media. It is the blog of the book "Communities Dominate Brands - Business and Marketing Challenges for the21st century".

The following quote from the post caught my eye - "the mobile is the 7th Mass Media is as profound as Gutenberg inventing moveable type". People are using more mobile devices than computers or any other device to connect with each other and to access information (Pew Internet Report - PDF), and if you combine this use of mobile devices with the creation of PLES, couldn't you have the "perfect storm" of learning? I certainly think so. All I know is that I have to spend more time getting to understand how I can create and deliver learning opportunities, resources, and environments to learners using mobile devices.

Will the iPhone and the other next generation devices be the next great thing in learning? Hmmm...

Photo "1000 Mobiles" by Gaetan Lee

Life After Death By PowerPoint

There has been a lot written in the blogosphere and elsewhere about PowerPoint - useful tool, horrible crutch, destroyer of education as we know it - you choose.

We have all sat through those presentations that we "affectionately" call "Death By PowerPoint" - slide 22, slide 23..., slide 45, slide 46 - make it STOP!!

This is a hilarious video from Don McMillan - it is a look at what NOT to do with PowerPoint. Follow his lead and you should be able to get your point across in your presentation without any serious casualties or fatalities...

Life After Death by PowerPoint

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So You Want To Know About Blogging...

Got this from Randommind - it's from the Fischbowl, an amazing educational blog created by Karl Fisch and the staff at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado. You may also know him as the creator of "Did You Know" ( a "refreshed" version of Did You Know - "Did you Know 2.0" is now available, from the Fischbowl blog, YouTube, and Google Video).

This video is students and teachers talking about blogging and what they do with it, how they learn by blogging, and what they get out of blogging. It's essential viewing for anyone who wants to blog or is thinking about using blogs as an educational tool or is thinking of adding them to their learning environments. It is crammed with ideas and innovations on how to use blogs as learning tools.



Thanks again to randommind for sharing this with me, and to the Fischbowl for the creation of this amazing video. It's what blogging can be as an educational tool...

Randommind - A Must Read - The Sequel

I have already told you that Randommind is a must read blog (my friend Carolyn is amazing - so insightful and always on topic), but there are two recent posts on the blog that really are must reads.

The first one is PLE ON A Cellphone?. What an incredible idea and what an AHA! moment for me. Talk about breaking down the walls of education. I am a big believer that PLEs are going to have a major impact on my learners and myself in the next few years. What an amazing concept - create a learning environment that works for you, the learner. To take it the next step and make it mobile - too cool. Just think of the learning opportunities... Check out the post.

The second post is Facebook Banned By Ontario Government. The Ontario government has banned provincial employees from using Facebook, which I find just mind-boggling. I'm currently using Facebook as a way to stay in touch with past, current, and even some future learners (not to mention colleagues, friends, and even some complete strangers) - it's a very powerful tool for getting information out. I've had learners get work from jobs and opportunities posted by other learners - too cool! I am seriously looking at Facebook as a learning tool (a future post).

If one of the jobs of a provincial government is to stay in touch with the residents of the province what better way to do it than Facebook. Like Randommind says in her post, even the Premier of Nova Scotia has a Facebook site. The reaction of the Ontario government to Facebook reminds me of the way a lot of organizations reacted years ago to the use of the Internet during working hours placing restrictions on its use. Well those restrictions are mainly gone now, and I suspect the same will happen with Facebook - it is just too valuable and useful a communication tool.

Thanks for the always great stuff Carolyn. I can't wait for your next post...

Randommind - A Must Read

My good friend Carolyn blogs on all sorts of things educational in nature and more. She has great insight into education, learning, instructional design, Web 2.0, Second Life and lots more and has a great knack for finding the most amazing stuff from the Web and the blogsphere.

Check out the Randommind blog - she has some great things to say.