March 2005 — Features
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Developing a Mobile Learning Environment to Support Virtual Education Communities
Applications, software and commercial solutions currently available to users lack what is
needed to make anytime, any-where mobile computing a reality on campuses. Table 2 includes examples of current applications, software and projects. The placement of these examples within the table indicates why they are not adequate solutions for the envisioned MLE.
MLE Development
Currently, we are developing an MLE to connect students and faculty in a 24/7 VLC. This infrastructure will give students and faculty the ability to collaborate regardless of their time or location, using the most effective educational tools. The MLE infrastructure includes:
· Smart mobile devices with wireless connectivity that enable rich data sharing and efficient multi-way communications.
· Collaboration tools and reusable modules for rich data sharing.
· Team productivity tools compatible with multiple platforms and devices.
· Robust multimedia server architecture with integrated support for location-aware applications.
The MLE includes a versatile, intuitive set of collaborative hypermedia tools and multimedia applications for science and mathematics education. New software has been devised, created and tested along with a novel combination of information technologies. The goal is to construct a seamless, integrated learning environment accessible by modern computing platforms - with an emphasis on mobile devices. To reach this goal, we are pursuing the following design objectives:
Develop for multiple devices and platforms. Students and instructors participating in the VLC will have access to a multitude of devices, including tablet PCs, pocket PCs, notebooks, desktops and smart phones running on Windows, Mac OS and Linux that will be connected by wired and wireless networks. Develop-ment efforts will focus on maximizing the user experience in the MLE regardless of the device or platform.
Build on a high-performance client-side runtime model. Current Web applications, built upon a legacy HTML model, do not provide an optimal end-user experience and have performance limitations. Next-generation environments, such as Flash MX, combine code, content and communications logic into a richer, high-performance runtime model designed with broader applications in mind.
Create synergy through the comprehensive integration of collaboration, communication and computing components. While current Internet activity is based on many disparate interfaces (e.g., browsers, IM/chat clients, media players, file transfer or file sharing, etc.), the MLE will provide a powerful object-oriented model for applications and events that integrates user interface, multi-way communications, rich data sharing, personalized application access, and collaborative learning services into a common object model that can be used by educators of varying skill levels. The integrated environment created by this project will generate a synergy that is impossible to achieve with disaggregated applications based on a traditional client-server model.
Enhance the interchange of data through the use of Web services. Rich data sharing will be based on Macromedia Flash Remoting and Web services created with XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. This will allow applications with different sources of data to communicate with one another, thereby alleviating the need for time-consuming custom programming.
